The government of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) said Tuesday that it will put aside money for the relocation of U.S. forces in Okinawa in its fiscal 2010 budget.
Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said on Tuesday that "Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has approved the allocation" of funds that are penned to be used to help shoulder the costs of a move of thousands of U.S. forces in Okinawa under a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed by the former government of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the administration of President George W. Bush.
Since coming to power in September, the DPJ has questioned the SOFA agreement and set up a high-level group between Japan and the U.S. to
explore other options available. While the DPJ and its coalition partners have emphasized the need to find an alternative to the current plan, the United States has been firm in its insistence that the deal signed in 2006
is the best possible option.
On Monday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said "there is a position because there is an agreement. I think that is what both sides reiterated," implying that the White House position has not changed and implying that the DPJ may allow U.S. forces to remain in Okinawa.
The SOFA agreement will see 8,000 U.S. forces relocated from Okinawa to Guam, but the remaining contingent of around 40,000 soldiers will remain on the island chain in southern Japan. The agreement also calls for Japan to
foot part of the bill to move the troops to Guam and help marines move to new bases within Okinawa.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has indicated that he will explain future Japan policy on the issue of troops in Okinawa when the two are scheduled to meet in Copenhagen on Dec. 15 to attend an international climate conference.
Last week, Mizuho Fukushima, the leader of the DPJ's coalition partner the Social Democratic Party (SDP), indicated that there was a possibility her party would leave the government if U.S. troops are allowed to remain in Okinawa.
The SDP has long been opposed to having U.S. forces in the area, and Fukushima said her party would have to "make a serious decision" if they
were to remain there.
The issue of troops in Okinawa has long been an emotive one, with noise pollution and crime originating from the bases stirring up the anger of locals. The foreign ministry is also conducting an investigation to determine whether or not the LDP signed secret agreements with the United States allowing nuclear weapons on its soil in return for the handing over of Okinawa.
The prefecture in southern Japan was handed to the nation in 1972 after 27 years of U.S. occupation from 1945, when World War II ended.